Have you been growing impatient with the lack of chicken chat on Junque Rethunque? My apologies... it hasn't been intentional. I simply have not had anything newsworthy to share. But today... today is big. It's Tuesday's Treasure, straight from the nesting box... isn't it sweet??
Having six chickens, it's difficult to say who this little brown package of awesomeness belongs too. But we can rule out Bernelle... she's an Amercauna, so she'll lay blueish-white eggs. I'm pretty sure that Claudia's eggs will be a little lighter... she's a Plymouth Rock, and they usually lay light brown eggs with a touch of pink, and this one looks pretty much straight up brown. So, it's got to be from Pearl, Virginia, Lela or Katy.
I've been waiting patiently for a month or so now, knowing it was getting close to time for an egg to show up. It's been fun watching the girls grow this summer. They are all so big! I have yet to put a permanent roof on their coop (it's been so dry this year, we have made due with some plywood and plastic tarp.) But it's going to get wet and cold soon, so it's time to put the finishing touches on before it's too late.
I remember gathering eggs with my grandmother when I was a little girl - and I'm so excited to share that experience of knowing where our food comes from and what it takes to sustain it with my son and grand-daughter in our own back yard.
What are some of your childhood memories that you're recreating as a grownup?
Today, we’re talking about favorite cowboys. Most of mine, I
admit, are not “real” cowboys. I’m a movie fan, so
when I try to make a list of favorite cowboys they are usually guys who play
them in films or sing about being one on a stage.
What is it about cowboys that we love so much? They ride around on horses for days at a time, sweating in their leather and denim... not bathing... they're not particularly verbose or genteel... Oh, but they're faithful. To their horse. I don't know. It's that Bad Boy thing I guess, or The Man Who Can't Be Tamed... or maybe we love the idea of a guy who drops in now and then but doesn't live with us expecting us to do their laundry and feed them 24/7. I'm just guessing.
So here are a few of my faves... and stay tuned for the boot part of this post:
When
I was 14 we moved to Pasadena, Texas, home of Gilley’s nightclub. You may
remember it as the place where John Travolta and Debra Winger scooted some
boots and rode the mechanical bull in the movie Urban Cowboy. We got to see them film a few scenes around town, which was fun, and the movie brought boots and pearl buttons into style for the first time since Roy Rogers was sporting them in the 1950s. In addition
to just enjoying John Travolta in a tight pair of Wranglers, the movie had a pretty
great soundtrack. I’m not a huge fan of country music (currently), but “Lookin’
for Love in All the Wrong Places” was perfection with a twang.
I
didn’t see this film until I was a bit older since I was a kid when it was in
theaters, but Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid is one of my very favorite western films. I also love The Sting starring Paul Newman and
Robert Redford, but there is something about them with scruffy facial hair and
boots… well, let's just say it works. Oh, and then there’s Robert Redford in Electric Cowboy… totally different vibe, but more of the Sundance
man on a horse is never a bad thing.
In
my early 20s I lived in the mid-cities area between Dallas and Fort Worth. On the
weekends I would go to the Stockyards in Fort Worth and do a little
two-stepping with my friends who waited tables with me. At the time, cowgirl
boots were only available in serious western stores, and they cost serious
money. Since I was not, admittedly, a “real” cowgirl (and I was a waitress living on tips), I didn’t wear boots – but
I think I looked pretty cute drinking a long-neck Corona with a lime slice
poked in the top of the bottle. During those years, I was a fan of George Strait.
Other favorite singing cowboys that came along later include Alan Jackson and
Vince Gill.
Now, here’s where
the boots come into the story… Back in August my sister and I attended a
fantastic conference put together by Arkansas Women Bloggers. There are several
reasons the conference was fantastic, not the least of which was the new pair
of boots that each attendee got from Country Outfitter just for attending. I mean, I’ve walked away from a few conferences with a tote bag full of crap
stuff that I have tossed into the “free” box at my next yard sale – but these
boots will not be going there.
Rumor has it that cowgirl boots are huge on the fashion
scene this year, and I’d be willing to bet that you wouldn’t mind having a new
pair, right? They’re cute with short skirts, long skirts, skinny jeans and
leggings… there just aren't many things you can’t wear them with. I've seen them
with shorts as well, but I do not wear the Daisy Duke look well… I've decided boots do not pair well with cellulite. ;)
But here's the best part - we could only accept a free pair of boots if we were willing to host a giveaway on our blog. So, who wants a pair of boots?? Country Outfitter carries brands from a ton of great
boot-makers and I’m not kidding when I say it took me a week to pick mine out.
I toyed with getting crazy with color and picking these sweet things:
But the heel was a bit high for me... so I thought I might take these because the appliques
reminded me of the bags I make for Punkinhead Designs:
And then I thought maybe I’d move toward something less
western (since I'm a country girl, but not really a COWgirl:
But in the end, this lovely dark brown mustang cowhide pair from Justin won out. They’re
dark but not too dark, and they have rubber soles which are super
comfortable. I haven’t had to break them in at all because they are already
soft and pliable. But the best thing - they look great with my skinny jeans.
But enough of the boots on my favorites list, right? Here’s
what you need to do to win your own… click here to enter your email to win your very own boots
worth up to $150.00 from Country Outfitter, and then comment on this post with the name (or names) of YOUR favorite cowboy. Feel free to throw in some off-the-wall
faves… Ronald Reagan, that guy you knew in college, Roy Rogers (there is no
age-limit here!).
I'll announce the winner via random drawing on Monday, October 1st, so don't wait!! Good luck everyone - I can't wait to announce the winner!!
This post is the first in what we're going to call "Tuesday's Treasure". It will be a weekly post focused on something special we did or found or made over the previous weekend. This one is a week behind but we'll be more timely in weeks to come.
Labor Day weekend is sentimental for us. It's the annual date for a local craft show called the Clothesline Fair, which was the first craft show that we participated in together. Erin was knitting bracelets out of thin-gauge wire and adding sparkly beads, I made Snowfolk, and our mom was wrapping wine glasses with wire and beads and making lamp and ceiling fan pulls as well. We called ourselves "6 Hands". We're clever like that.
The second year we participated was 2008, the year that mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It happened the Monday night after the fair. We watched her struggle with balance and mobility all weekend, and she ended up in the emergency room after falling when she returned home. It was devastating, and it has tainted that weekend and the enjoyment I get from the fair ever since.
This year, however, we had a new reason to be excited about the Clothesline Fair - our booth at Summit Hill Cottage Shoppe! We signed up to work at the shop on Sunday, and on Saturday morning we went out to spruce the booth up a bit and take a stroll through the fair.
G-Man went with us, and was fairly well-behaved. He always has to jump on some vintage tractors...
I wish my grandpa had lived long enough to meet him, and teach him to actually operate one of those things.
I lucked into a free piece of pottery when I pointed out a broken bit to the potter, and was happy to chat with one of my favorite local artists, Temple Skelton Moore. My son talked me into a bow and arrow set made from pvc pipe (it's cooler than it sounds), Erin bought a lovely handmade wooden spoon/scraper for her kitchen, but the only purchase I made for me was to replenish my supply of handmade face cloths. I get at least one every year, and have had a few for several years now. They are made from cotton fibers and have held up through washing machines without any fraying or loose knots. They are simply awesome.
